The present invention relates generally to golf putters, and relates more specifically to an improved pendulum-type golf putter.
Many golfers believe that swinging the golf putter with a pendulum action provides a motion that leads to consistency and accuracy in putting. It is believed that if the ball is struck squarely with the putter head, it will follow a line defined by the path that the putter has taken during the backswing and follow through. Accordingly, modifications have been made to golf putters to improve or enhance a pendulum-like motion, and to encourage that the backswing and follow-through be in perfect alignment with the hole. U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,650 to Schneller; U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,657 to Beil; U.S. Pat. No. Des 0425,951 to Davis; U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,631 to Paloneu; U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,668 to Flege; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,361 to Coombe all describe pendulum-type golf putters.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,300 to Scalise et al. describes a putter for use in training a golfer in a style of putting in which a crossrod at the upper end of the club shaft is provided with a sleeve supported at each end by ball bearings. The crossrod is mounted to the club shaft at a right angle, but the putter head is affixed to the shaft at an angle.
However, putters constructed in accordance with this patent have certain shortcomings. With a Scalise putter, a golfer maintains a firm grip on the sleeve with one hand during the backswing and attempts a pendulum-like stroke by using the other hand to grip and twist a portion of the crossrod that extends out away from the golfer in order to raise the club head to a desired height during the backswing. This putter forces the user to twist the crossbar in order to raise the shaft of the putter, causing undesirable torque on the wrist. Furthermore, a player must hold the handle at a slight incline to keep the club head swinging on a level plane, which makes a consistent pendulum action more difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,317 to Vezina describes a putter comprised of a lower shaft and an upper shaft, both shafts being rotatable with respect to one another. The putter has a bilaterally symmetrical head which enables conversion of a right-handed putter into a left handed putter and vice versa, U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,662 to Squire describes a pendulum-type putter having three handles; one on the shaft to control the swing, one horizontal handle to grip the putter and the third, in line with the second to position and stabilize the putter against the user""s body. The putter shaft is pivoted between the second and third handles by the provision of an adapter connected to a rotatable shaft between the second and third handles. If the gripping hand contacts and overlies the adapter, there can easily be resistance to the pendulum swing.
In the present invention, a U-shaped yoke-like handle is connected at an angle to the club shaft. The yoke includes a rotatable mandrel pivotal at opposed ends to between the legs of the U-shaped yoke, while the bight of the yoke has an adapter for connection to the club shaft. The yoke legs, bight and club shaft are swung in pendulum like fashion by gripping the shaft and mandrel and swinging the shaft with a pendulum-like motion relative to the mandrel. The use of the yoke alleviates any interference with the swing of the pendulum shaft of putter club by spacing the rotatable, mandrel from the shaft adapter so as to preclude interference with the pendulum movement of the shaft by the grip of the user. Further, the mechanical advantage gained by spacing the shaft adapter at an angle from the mandrel makes it easier to swing the club with less force.